Mucking Through the Swamp

Despite the fact that social welfare problems do not lend themselves to rational definition and analysis, most undergraduate social welfare policy courses use technical rational approaches to teach policy analysis. This article argues that analysts need to descend from the high ground of rational analysis to the “swampy lowlands of human concern” (Schon, 1983; quoted in Zlotkowski, 2001, p. 24). The author reports that the inclusion of post-positivist methods such as service learning and community-based research increased students' enthusiasm and preparedness for social welfare policy analysis, enhanced the instructor's (and students') sense of civic engagement, and improved community collaboration efforts.